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Braces At Age
8 Can Be Too Late!
Early Orthodontic
Care, From Birth to Age Eight,
Seen Cutting Life-Threatening Ailments
WINCHESTER, Va., Sept. 16, 2003:- An article in the current
Functional Orthodontist recommends early diagnosis and
treatment of youngsters from birth to age eight to prevent
life threatening disorders stemming from underdeveloped or
malformed jaws. The author, Dr. David C. Page of Baltimore,
notes that beginning braces or other treatment around age
eight, while now being done by more practitioners, is still
too late for some children. By age eight, Dr. Page says, jaws
have already reached 80-90 percent of their adult size.
Research studies show, he adds, that small jaws create small
airways increasing the likelihood of a host of problems
ranging from sleep apnea, bed wetting and hypertension to
heart disease and premature death. Abnormal jaws can grow
crooked and cause chronic ear problems.
According to Dr. Page, earlier treatment helps small jaws and
airways reach their full growth potential. Early treatment
produces more bone (orthopedic) improvement rather than just
straight teeth. The third generation practitioner notes that
while clubfoot bones and malformed jaws have parallel needs
and growth patterns, clubfoot cases are routinely examined,
diagnosed and treated beginning at birth, while problem jaw
bones are not routinely examined, diagnosed and treated until
after age eight. At age eight, abnormal growth can be much
harder to correct and lead to the removal of numerous teeth or
even corrective jaw surgery.
Despite the need for early diagnosis and treatment, Dr. Page
warns both are relatively nonexistent because "hospital
professionals involved in birth procedures lack the training
to recognize subtle orthopedic jaw abnormalities." The
prognosis for such care, however, he believes is favorable.
Early treatment, he predicts, "will likely become a health
priority once its diagnostic and treatment protocols are
better defined and its health benefits better understood." TOP
About the Author:
Dr. Page, named the
clinician of the year by the AAFO, is the author of a new
alternative medicine self help book "Your Jaws - Your Life."
Copies of his AAFO journal article "Real" Early Orthodontic
Treatment" and his book may be requested at
Source:
Dr.
David C. Page
The Functional Orthodontist is published by the American
Association For Functional Orthodontics for its 2000 worldwide
members. |
